Category: Education

KCK schools to hold forums Saturday on cameras in the classroom

Should cameras be placed in Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools classrooms?

That will be the topic of forums to be held on Saturday, Dec. 17.

The public is invited to weigh in on the topic during the forums.

Superintendent Anna Stubblefield said during the Dec. 13 school board meeting that two public forums are planned.

Those interested in participating in the forums must register for a forum at a link at kckschools.org.

The time of the in-person forum Saturday, Dec. 17, is 10 a.m. to noon at the school district office, 2010 N. 59th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

Then there will be a virtual forum from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Registration also is necessary for this forum.

The district has already held a forum for staff members on Dec. 7.

The school board is not expected to make a decision on cameras in the classroom on Saturday.

The topic has generated interest among faculty, parents and students in the school district.

At the Dec. 13 school board meeting, a community comment was received from Craig Krueger on the topic.

An educator and parent, Krueger said $8 million would be required to fund classroom cameras, and he thought it might be better spent on other approaches. As an alternate approach he suggested still designs for classroom cameras, from $200 to $300 each, that faculty could use in partnership with the instructional coaching staff. There would still be an opportunity to be reflective practitioners by using a video of themselves in the classroom.

He suggested using a portion of the funds for student safety needs, after using grant funds and instructional materials for 1,600 classrooms. He felt an alarm system or mobile panic button might better meet the needs of staff members for safety.

According to information posted on the school district’s website, the focus of the discussion on cameras in the classroom shifted from surveillance to leveraging the use of cameras for instruction to address the teacher shortage. In 2021, the district bought 388 cameras for $69,452 for distance learning.

Already, the school district has 2,777 cameras in the schools and district offices, according to the district’s website. They are in various places, including gymnasiums, auditoriums and multipurpose areas.

Cameras are being used for unfilled teaching positions, and long-term substitutions.

The district stated on its website that the cost of the camera project is $6.7 million to buy and install them. Federal ESSER funds are available for the project.

According to the district’s website, the district reviews camera footage when an incident is reported. However, there is no plan for a command center to monitor cameras, according to information on the website.

Outgoing Kansas Board of Education member decries GOP’s embrace of ‘Christian nationalism’

Member Ben Jones rejects political hostility directed at LGBTQ community

Kansas Board of Education members Ben Jones, Janet Waugh and Jean Clifford, left to right, stand for a photograph at their final board meeting. Each reflected on their work on behalf of public education, with Jones also denouncing Christian nationalism, the Republican Party and political attacks on LGBTQ educators and students. (Photo by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector)

by Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — Kansas Board of Education member Ben Jones addressed colleagues at his final meeting Wednesday by raising concern about the influence of Christian nationalists in government, the Republican Party’s rejection of social and emotional learning in schools and the ostracizing of LGBTQ teachers and students.

Jones, a Sterling resident elected four years ago to represent a portion of southwest Kansas, lost his GOP primary in August to Dennis Hershberger of Hutchinson. Hershberger is among three Republicans elected in November to join the 10-member state Board of Education in January.

Jones said rise of Christian nationalism in the United States should be viewed as an assault on the liberty of individuals to choose a personal religious path. Influence wielded by Christian fundamentalists threatens to infuse government, including public education, with religious ideology reinforced by government “coercion,” Jones said.

“This narrative has now taken over the Republican Party in a way I never thought possible 10 years ago,” he said. “This is the belief that we are God’s chosen nation and we must follow the dictates of carefully selected portions of the Bible. This is dangerous — replacing the grace of Jesus Christ with the yoke of the law.”

Michael Kuckelman, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

During the board meeting, Jones accused Christian fundamentalists of damaging conservatism in the quest for power. This misguided agenda sought to deny LGBTQ individuals from teaching in schools, said Jones, who has supported same-sex marriage.

“Gay students have a right to a safe and quality public education,” he said. “Gay teachers should be allowed to teach in our classrooms.”

Jones, a Republican, said a person’s morality couldn’t be determined by political party affiliation and a partisan group shouldn’t operate as some type of morality police. He said Republicans had falsely denounced social and emotional learning in schools and alleged teachers were advancing “critical race theory,” which represents the idea racism was a cultural construction designed to oppress people of color.

He said social and emotional learning — some state Board of Education members object to use of the phrase — was important because high school graduates needed a framework that would support their continued learning throughout life.

Jean Clifford, a first-term Republican state board member from Garden City, fell in the primary to Cathy Hopkins of Hays. She said she was honored to work the past four years on behalf of “dedicated, hard-working individuals who truly want to see their students succeed.”

She pointed to a misconception held by some people the state Board of Education had authority to mandate education reform. The state Board of Education, she said, had constitutional powers to guide public education statewide. For example, the state Board of Education recommended school districts stop using offensive Native American mascots, but didn’t have the ability to require the change.

“We provide a structure and guidance to local districts,” said Clifford, a former member of the Garden City school board. “Local boards of education and local control is a fundamental principle in our state. That is something we need to honor whether we agree with the decision at the local level or not.”

The third to depart the 10-member state Board of Education in January will be Janet Waugh of Kansas City, Kansas. She didn’t seek reelection and will complete a 24-year run on the board. She was on the Turner school board for 15 years and described teachers as “my heroes.”

“It takes a village to raise a board member,” Waugh said. “I’ve had a heck of a village supporting me.”

She said her state Board of Education district included a concentration of low-income students. She was proud the state Board of Education’s policy was to meet needs of every single child.

“Our students didn’t choose to be born into poverty. Education is the only escape for many of these students. Please, I ask of you, do not allow their zip code to determine the type of education they receive,” Waugh said.

She apologized for doubting the abilities of Randy Watson, who was named Kansas commissioner of education in 2014 while serving as superintendent of schools in McPherson.

“I was wrong,” Waugh said. “He’s been an amazing commissioner who has been a wonderful leader for the state.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/12/14/outgoing-kansas-board-of-education-member-decries-gops-embrace-of-christian-nationalism/

KCK school board approves cadet corrections program


by Mary Rupert


The Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education on Tuesday night approved a cadet corrections program that would allow high school seniors to work in the Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Department.


The program needs joint approval of the school board and the Unified Government.


The program’s goal is to prepare students for a career in the corrections field.
In the program, cadets will be in training to eventually become a correctional specialist. It is a one semester program.


There are a number of tests and screenings that students must take to qualify for the program, as outlined in the agreement.


Students will be in the program two days a week.


Up to 10 part-time positions will be available for a term not to exceed six months, according to the agreement. Up to 300 hours of education and
training will be provided.

At graduation, the student will be eligible for full-time employment with the Sheriff’s Office.


At a Monday night UG standing committee meeting, it was stated that there are currently two students in the program.

The UG also heard about another program to involve high school students at its Monday meeting.

A similar program for 911 call takers was discussed.

In a partnership with the KCK Public Schools, the 911 call takers would be high school seniors in training for a career, according to police officials who spoke at the UG meeting.

A 320-hour curriculum that is structured would include a number of certifications the students could receive, eventually leading to a job at the
communications center.


This program would begin in the spring of 2024, and eventually it would branch out to engage with other high schools in Wyandotte County, according to the plan.


The students would be paid around $15 an hour.


Students also would be graded, with grades counting toward their graduation.


UG Commissioner Christian Ramirez supported the program, saying it was important to get students involved early while in high school.


Currently this program could accommodate up to four students, according to the police department. It’s starting as a pilot project.


Commissioner Harold Johnson said eventually it could be expanded to all schools.


Commissioner Mike Kane said they’ve been working on the project a long time, and he hoped to open the program to other districts in Wyandotte County.


Assistant County Administrator Bridgette Cobbins said the program originally was the idea of KCK Police Chief Karl Oakman, who met with the commission and described his ideas, including working closely with the Kansas City, Kansas, School District for implementing student career programs.


To reach Mary Rupert, editor of Wyandotte Daily, email [email protected].